A financial institution or other institution may own a commodity that is transferable for funds (e.g., a cash amount). For example, the commodity may be a metal (e.g., gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, etc.), a natural resource (e.g., oil, natural gas, diesel, ethanol, uranium, wheat, corn, sugar, soybean, coffee, coco, rice, oats, mils, lumber, etc.), a financial asset (e.g., a security, a treasury bond, a stock, etc.), etc. The institution that owns the commodity may be a seller in a transaction with a buyer who purchases the commodity. The exchange of the commodity for the funds may often take a significant amount of time, particularly when the commodity is a precious metal. Specifically, the buyer may satisfy the responsibility of transmitting the funds but only upon delivery of the commodity. As the commodity is required to be physically transferred into the possession of the buyer, this transaction may entail a significant amount time, often several days.
The funds may be provided in a variety of ways. For example, cash may be physically delivered from the buyer to the seller. In another example, an electronic payment may be transferred from a buyer's account to a seller's account. Although the transfer of the funds may be accomplished in a more efficient and faster manner, the time in which the transaction is completed is still limited to the time required for the commodity to be transferred.